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Steps to follow to make sure your solar eclipse glasses are certified and safe

When the moon eclipses the sun on Aug. 21, millions will look to the sky while wearing special glasses for protection. Experts say you shouldn't blindly trust that the glasses you have are properly able to shield your eyes.

Steps to follow to make sure your solar eclipse glasses are certified and safe

When the moon eclipses the sun on Aug. 21, millions will look to the sky while wearing special glasses for protection. Experts say you shouldn't blindly trust that the glasses you have are properly able to shield your eyes.

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Updated: 6:02 PM CDT Aug 14, 2017

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WEBVTT REPORTER: ROB, MELISSA, HUNDREDSSTOOD IN LINE HERE AT THE DURHAMSCIENCE CENTER, TRYING TO GETTHEIR HANDS ON A PAIR OF THESE.THEY'RE ALREADY SOLD OUT.BUT EVEN IF YOU HAVE A PAIR,EXPERTS SAY, MAKE SURE THEY'RELEGIT.>> I GOT THEM.REPORTER: AS THE GREAT SOLARECLIPSE INCHES CLOSER, IT'SGETTING MORE AND MORE DIFFICULTTO SNAG A PAIR OF THESE.>> EVERYWHERE IS SOLD OUT.REPORTER: ONE WOMAN WAITED INLINE FOR AN HOUR AT THE DURHAMSCIENCE CENTER MONDAY AND BOUGHT85 PAIRS AFTER SHE LEARNED THEGLASSES SHE BOUGHT ON AMAZONWERE BOGUS.>> I GOT AN EMAIL OVER THEWEEKEND FROM AMAZON SAYING THATTHE MANUFACTURER HADN'TCONFIRMED THAT THEY WERE ISOCERTIFIED, SO THEY RECOMMEND NOTUSING THEM.REPORTER: EYE DR. LANCE KUGLERRECOMMENDS THAT, TOO.>> IF YOU DON'T HAVE THESEGLASSES, YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULDNOT LOOK AT THE SUN, EVEN FOR AFEW SECONDS, EVEN WHEN IT'SCOMPLETELY BLACKED OUT.REPORTER: IT CAN CAUSESIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO YOUR EYES,AND SUNGLASSES AREN'T ENOUGH TOPROTECT THEM EITHER.>> THAT LEVEL OF LIGHT INTENSITYCAN ACTUALLY CAUSE DAMAGE TO THERETNA INSIDE OF THE EYE, ANDIT'S PERMANENT.REPORTER: TRYING TO DECIPHERWHETHER YOUR GLASSES ARE SAFECAN BE TRICKY, BUT THERE ARETHREE THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR.FIRST, THAT THE GLASSES ARE ISOCERTIFIED AND HAVE A SPECIFICCODE.>> THERE IS A PARTICULAR ISOCODE.IT'S ACTUALLY 12312-2, AND THATMEANS THAT THE GLASSES HAVE BEENCERTIFIED TO BE SAFE FOR LOOKINGAT THE ECLIPSE.REPORTER: BUT DON'T LET SCAMMERSFOOL YOU.SOME GLASSES APPEAR SAFE WITHTHE RIGHT ISO SEAL AND CODE, BUTARE NOT FROM ONE OF THE 14 SAFEBRANDS RECOMMENDED BY NASA ANDTHE AMERICAN ASTRONOMICALSOCIET>> YOU CAN'T JUST PUT THESE ONAND SEE WHETHER THEY WORK.YOU REALLY NEED TO GO TO THEWEBSITE AND DETERMINE WHETHER ORNOT THEY'RE REPUTABLE SO THATYOU KNOW YOU'RE SAFE.REPORTER: AGAIN, THE DURHAMSCIENCE CENTER IS SOLD OUT OFTHEY SOLD 14,000 IN TOTAL.MELISSA: TAYLOR, WHERE CANPEOPLE FIND CERTIFIED AND SAFEGLASSES?REPORTER: MELISSA, IT'S SLIMPICKING RIGHT NOW, AND EVENSTATE AGENCIES AREN'TRECOMMENDING SPECIFIC PLACESTHAT ARE SELLING THEM.THE BEST ADVICE IS TO LOOK ATTHE LIST OF REPUTABLE VENDORSAND FIND THEM ONLINE OR A STORE

Steps to follow to make sure your solar eclipse glasses are certified and safe

When the moon eclipses the sun on Aug. 21, millions will look to the sky while wearing special glasses for protection. Experts say you shouldn't blindly trust that the glasses you have are properly able to shield your eyes.

When the moon eclipses the sun on Aug. 21, millions will look to the sky while wearing special glasses for protection. Experts say you shouldn't blindly trust that the glasses you have are properly able to shield your eyes.

As the Great Solar Eclipse inches closer, it's becoming more and more difficult to snag a pair of certified and safe glasses.

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"I've been trying HyVee, the grocery store and every time I go there, they're out," said Holly Fairchild, who waited an hour and 15 minutes to buy eclipse glasses at the University of Nebraska-Omaha Durham Science Center Monday.

Lotspeich also waited in line for an hour and bought 85 pairs after the glasses she bought on Amazon were bogus.

"I got an email over the weekend from Amazon, saying that the manufacturer hadn't confirmed that they were ISO certified, so they recommend not using them," Lotspeich said.

Eye Dr. Lance Kugler of Kugler Vision recommends that, too.

"If you don't have these glasses, you absolutely should not look at the sun," Kugler said. "Even for a few seconds, even when it's completely blacked out."

Looking at the eclipse can cause significant damage to your eyes and sunglasses aren't enough to protect them, either.

"That level of light intensity can actually cause damage to the retina inside of the eye and it's permanent," Kugler said.

Trying to decipher whether your glasses are safe can be tricky, but there are three things people should look out for.

First, make sure the glasses are ISO certified. Second, look for a specific code that reads 12312-2. The code may also have 2015 behind it.

The third and final step verifies that scammers aren't fooling you. Some glasses appear safe with the right ISO seal and code, but are not from one of the 14 safe brands recommended by NASA and the American Astronomical Society or AAS.